Chapman heads NASA team

Tech alum John Chapman, who earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering in 1973, is working on STS-114 - Space Shuttle Return to Flight as a part of the Marshall Center Office of Chief Engineers.

Chapman works for NASA in the Engineering Directorate at Marshall, and his work consists mostly of making recommendations to the Shuttle Propulsion Program manager about technical issues relating to hardware and programs used during flight. In addition to making technical recommendations, Chapman writes computer programs to analyze the propulsion hardware of the shuttle.

He became interested in flight mechanics in high school.

Chapman has worked for NASA for twenty-five years, and heads a team of engineers who are working on getting the space shuttle back into orbit.

"What's always been most fascinating to me is the simple challenge of flight-persuading a chunk of metal anchored by gravity to fly into the sky," Chapman said. "Look at the solutions humanity has devised over the centuries to get off the ground... look at the concepts we're developing today. Imagine the possibilities we'll think of tomorrow."

This story draws from an article written July 12 by June Malone and Martin Jensen of the NASA Marshall News.